The best art teacher in the world  or at least the state!

After 31 years as an art teacher in Salem, Maureen Roche has finally been recognized by a panel of her peers for the true art power house that she is!

Wendy Snow-Lang/The Art of Salem

If you have gone through the Salem High School system in that time period and had any art classes whatsoever, you would most likely have been exposed to Maureen Roche’s passion for art and for teaching. As her colleague for the past two years, photography teacher Michael Hanson has said of her: “She has what it takes to be a great teacher. She’s a wonderful mentor.”

Marie Meegan, a retired art teacher from Witchcraft Heights Elementary, praises Maureen for her professionalism and her high expectations. Marie also speaks of Maureen’s mentoring style.

Maureen has worked, and continues to do so, promoting the arts in Salem and promoting the students’ art and their potential as working artists. Maureen created the “Sammy Awards,” Salem’s version of the Oscars, which is a fundraiser for the arts. She started “Arts in the Evening,” a celebration of all the arts in the school community and the community at large, which happens May 9. She instituted the Senior Exit Exhibition in the School Committee chambers and created the Salem High Black Cat Café Art Gallery. She coordinated a photo exhibit of the Salem Point district entitled “Community of Hope” which was held at the Peabody Essex museum. This is only a partial list.

Her praises are sung in many circles and perhaps the most poignant is from School Committee Member Dr. Brendan Walsh himself: “Maureen encouraged (my daughter) to explore courses that might not get her to the valedictorian’s award, but could, more importantly, let her know if her instincts concerning what she would like to do in the world were correct. The daughter of this man, who cannot draw stick-men, now runs her own architectural enterprise.”

I sing the praises of Maureen Roche as a teacher and mentor. Did I have her as an inspiration through my formative years in school? No, because I grew up in Peabody, not Salem. But I’ve had dealings with her fellow teachers and the dedication I see in them is infectious.

Some of that infection rubbed off on me, and I offered them to showcase their students’ work in a gallery show at the Art Corner for the month of April. I knew the exhibit would bring no profit to the store for the month, but that wasn’t the point. The benefit to the Salem arts community and the benefit to the students themselves far outweighed any monetary expenditure of the store. Maureen herself provided vindication for me when she told a student’s mother that the show at the store was a “great resume entry” for her daughter. I hadn’t even thought of that when I proposed the show!

So — my point for this entire column?

Maureen Roche has been named Art Educator of the Year on the Secondary School Level by the Massachusetts Art Education Association (MAEA)!

She told me the story of how she learned she had won this prestigious award: “I had taken my students into Boston to view the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards exhibit and we were greeted by Tim O’Connor, who runs the Scholastic Art Awards and is president of the MAEA. He asked my kids if they had brought any money with them. I wondered if he meant that we had to pay admission to the exhibit, but then he said, ‘You’ll need money to take the Massachusetts Art Educator of the Year out to lunch!’ I didn’t get it at first, but then realized what he had said. I’m thrilled! This was right before February vacation, so I left school for the week with a high!”

Maureen has won accolades before from preeminent organizations like the Harvard Club of Boston and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, but I think this one is the biggie!

There’s also been a rumor that Maureen is retiring soon; I read of this in the many testimonials that had been offered to the MAEA in her nomination packet, but she denied it! In fact, she seemed downright confused when I asked her of it!

Maureen? What do you say? We’d hate to lose you!

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Wendy Snow-Lang is a graduate of New England School of Art and Design. She is a custom picture framer, owner of the Art Corner and a freelance illustrator. She has written and illustrated a published comic book called Night’s Children and is currently finishing her first novel.

If you are a Salem artist or a Salem art venue of any sort and are having an exhibit, call Snow-Lang at 978-745-9524, so she can send out one of her Art Press Corp Reporters to cover your event.